This is Spoken Gospel.

We’re dedicated to seeing 
Jesus in all of scripture.

In each episode, we see what’s 
happening in a Biblical text

and how it sheds light
on Jesus and his gospel.

Let’s jump in.

God has appeared to Solomon twice so far, 
and each time God gives the same warning.

If Solomon walks in the Lord’s ways, like his father David, 
God will continue to grow and establish his kingdom.

And so far, Solomon’s
reign has been glorious.

Israel is at the height of its 
cultural and military dominance.

Solomon seems to be like his father, 
and Israel has thrived as a result.

But Solomon is not like his father.

Solomon has collected 700 
wives and 300 concubines.

Some could argue (not that you should)
that a harem like this is just wise statecraft.

These women represent political alliances and
Solomon’s shrewd consolidation of Mespotamian power.

But however wise politically, God had
already warned how foolish this is spiritually.

In his old age Solomon ends up prostituting himself
before the abominable gods of the nations around him.

So, God keeps his promise, he withdraws his blessing, 
and tells Solomon the kingdom will be stripped from
his family’s hand and given to someone else.

We’re then given the origin
stories of three new enemies—

Hadad from Edom, Rezon a
Gentile, and Jeroboam an Israelite.

They will plague Solomon’s later years,
and one day, they will overthrow his son.

Jeroboam represents the most
serious threat out of the three.

He already has significant 
power in Solomon’s kingdom.

And one of God’s prophets, Ahijah, 
prophesies that he will be the one 

to rip ten tribes from
under Solomon’s son’s rule.

God even gives the same promise to Jeroboam that he
gave to Solomon. If Jeroboam obeys God, like David did,
his nation will be as great as his grandfather’s.

So, Solomon tries to
assassinate him but fails.

Jeroboam seeks asylum in Egypt. Solomon then dies, 
having failed not only to walk in God’s commands  

but also to stop the prophesied end of his 
family’s dynasty and the beginning of a civil war.

[music]

Solomon’s life and death foreshadow both the rest
of the book of Kings and the rest of Israel’s history.

The foreign enemies God raises against Solomon are
the forefathers of the nations of Assyria and Babylon.

And Jeroboam's rebellion will divide 
Israel for the rest of her history.

Even Jesus is opposed by the
same three nations mentioned here.

Herod is an Edomite, the Romans are Gentiles, 
and the scribes and Pharisees are Jewish.

Solomon’s failures have set the pattern that
Israel is doomed to repeat.

The rest of the book of 
Kings tells story after story  

of Israel marrying forbidden spouses, 
worshipping idols that are abominations, and  

dividing further from one 
another and from the Lord.

So, God keeps his promise to Solomon.

He withdraws his blessing, strips Israel’s 
kingdom bare, and hands them over to Assyria.

But because of David’s faithfulness to God, God
promised David that one of his sons would rule forever.

And that promise hasn’t been overturned; it’s why
both Solomon and his son are told to act like David.

Israel’s fate hangs on the promise of a son 
of David who is even greater than his father.

But that son is not Solomon, it’s Jesus.

Unlike Solomon, Jesus followed 
the example of his father.

Unlike Solomon, Jesus doesn’t use his wisdom
to consolidate power but to give his power away.

So, unlike Solomon’s death that sealed the division
of his kingdom and the death of his dynasty,

Jesus’ death inaugurated an eternal Kingdom and a unified
family of God. Jesus is the King we’ve been waiting for.

We don’t need to be afraid.

Our kingdom isn’t on the verge of collapse; we have 
a citizenship in heaven that can’t be undone by politics. 

Our nation is secure and the enemies that once threatened
us, like Edom and the Gentiles once threatened Israel,  

can now be counted as brothers
and sisters by the power of Jesus’ rule.

So, I pray that the Holy Spirit would open
your eyes to see God as our only true King.

And may you see Jesus as the final Son
of David whose Kingdom lasts forever

and who makes our
enemies into our family.